Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leading scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his career, he was an NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) a record 6 times. He holds records as a 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was named one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

At the time of this interview with Werner Erhard on September 24, 1988, as part of the ground breaking Saturday Satellite Seminar Series, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the leading star of the Los Angeles Lakers. He had just signed a contract through the 1989-1990 season, which made his twentieth year in a sport where few athletes survive beyond four seasons.